FLY-HALF legend Phil Bennett insists the Scarlets' slump should have no bearing whatsoever on Gareth Jenkins' application for the Wales job.

Since throwing his hat into the ring to replace Mike Ruddock, Jenkins has seen his Scarlets lose three games on the trot.

A Powergen Cup final defeat to Wasps has been followed by league losses against Leinster and the Ospreys.

It's a run that has left the Scarlets in danger of finishing as the bottom Welsh region in the Celtic League, which would consign them to the ignominy of a Heineken play-off against Italian opposition.

And it could all be seen as bad timing for director of rugby Jenkins, who is vying for the Wales job with fellow front-runner Phil Davies.

But Stradey legend Bennett is confident the Scarlets will bounce back by beating the Dragons on Saturday evening to launch a leap up the table.

And, in any case, he says Jenkins shouldn't be judged on a handful of recent results, but on his outstanding track record over more than a decade.

"The last three games should not make one iota of difference," said Bennett. "They have no bearing whatsoever on Gareth's credentials for the Wales job.

"You don't judge a guy on three matches, but on his success or failure over the course of his whole coaching career.

"And, in Gareth's case, you are talking about a man with 15 or 20 years experience and countless successes to his name.

"You have to look long and hard at what he proposes for the future of Welsh rugby.

"It's not about reacting to the last few results. Gareth would obviously be disappointed and annoyed with those defeats, but they are irrelevant in terms of the Wales job."

Radio pundit Bennett says he's not unduly perturbed by the Scarlets' recent fall from grace.

"I don't think there is anything major wrong," said the former Wales and Lions skipper.

"I just feel they have had tough games away from home against sides who had plenty to play for. I watched the three matches and they could easily have won the first two of them. They were there for the taking.

"I left Twickenham thinking they had blown that one because they should have been up by 15 to 20 points at half-time and game over. But they couldn't keep up the tempo after the break and kicked a lot of ball away.

"Then against Leinster they were magnificent in the first 40, employing completely different tactics to what they had done at Twickenham.

"They kept the ball in hand and made Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy look very ordinary.

"But the sin-binning of Alix Popham in the second half proved crucial. They could still have come away with a fantastic victory though, if there had been one good pass from Regan King to Popham later on.

"It just shows that little things can turn matches and that there's a fine margin between winning and losing."

The Scarlets also went in front early on against the Ospreys on Wednesday night, but were on the back foot for most of the match, going down 25-13.

"I always thought that was going to be a huge test for them," said Bennett. "It was the Ospreys' cup final, make no bones about it.

"They haven't had a great season, but this was a massive match for them. It was a chance to put one over on their local rivals in front of 15,000 people.

"It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere and the Ospreys boys would have been thinking, 'Let's make this a great occasion.'

"Their body language was good and they had a real hunger, while the Scarlets looked a bit tired after three games in nine days. They made mistakes and the Ospreys made them pay."

Reflecting on the losing run, Bennett added, "It's a little mini-slump, but I fully expect them to come back.

"I think they will beat the Dragons at home on Saturday and finish well up the table."